


Sleep, Sister

by Scriberat



Series: Month of Mei 2020 [25]
Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Comfort, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24384013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scriberat/pseuds/Scriberat
Summary: Koumei and Kougyoku sit to talk for a bit after everything is more or less settled.
Relationships: Ren Koumei & Ren Kougyoku
Series: Month of Mei 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727365
Kudos: 16





	Sleep, Sister

**Author's Note:**

> me: boy they never talk in canon!  
> me: ... do they have anything in common?

Koumei sighed as he sat down to tea. It had been a tiring while. Between sleepless nights of taking care of the Fanfan company, then trying to stop Aibaba from saving the world, then helping to save the world, he had gone through the ringer. But he wasn't the only one.

Kougyoku sat in front of him, looking rather worn out, and no wonder. Unlike him, she hadn't taken any time off at all. He poured them both some tea and looked at the beads in front of her face.

"Take the hat off. Let's just sit as siblings."

She did so, setting it on the table. "It's nice to have a moment away from that stuff."

"Agreed." They sat and sipped. Koumei realized he had never actually connected with his sister as a person. "That speech you gave to inspire everyone over a year ago. It still comes to mind when I need a boost. We hadn't considered you once for the throne, but that was clearly a mistake."

"You... you really remember it, even now?"

"I do. I was never fit to rule, despite the King's Candidate label. I'm happy to serve you, little sister." He smiled fondly.

"That makes me really happy. I'm always worried that I won't be the leader people need me to be."

"You already are. Alibaba mentioned you like flower crowns. Is that right?"

"Yes, it is. I enjoy weaving them. It's relaxing, and they're so pretty. Would you like one?"

Would he? A gift from his sister was something he would treasure. A gift from the Empress couldn't be taken away. "I'd love one."

She smiled and drank more tea. "Hibiscus?"

"It is. It's my favorite."

"Mine, too! I love how the flavor dances on my tongue~"

"As do I. It helps to wake me up when I'm tired," Koumei said, sipping, himself.

"Right? It's been useful recently."

"You've been quite tired. Have you been sleeping well?"

"No, I haven't been," she said morosely. "I try, but my mind buzzes so much I can't get to sleep until I'm exhausted."

He nodded. "If you need to, take a nap. I often did the same when I was planning battle strategies."

"Is that why? All this time, I thought you were just lazy."

"That was planned. If people outside assumed I did little, it removed me as a target. None of our battle plans held my name, either."

"I see. That's really clever. I wouldn't have thought of doing that."

"I wouldn't have either, if not for the countless records of smart generals killing good strategists to cripple their enemies."

"It would have been sad to lose you. But we don't have to worry about that anymore!" Kougyoku smiled. Koumei smiled, too.

"That we don't. I'll teach you my method for calming the mind after tea."

They ended up in the gardens shortly after that. Kougyoku was weaving flowers together. Koumei watched her do it, trying to memorize the steps. He got it after several flowers, and then she was done.

"Here." She put it on his head and smiled. "It suits you!"

He papped the flowers carefully, then smiled, himself. "I like it. Thank you. As for that method..."

This time, they moved to her rooms. He set down paper, pen, and ink.

"What's this for?" Kougyoku asked.

"Write it down and work through the issues."

She did, getting clearly emotional as she wrote things down. He glanced over. Her writing focused on feeling like she wasn't good enough as a leader.

"Once you've identified the issue, seek a solution."

Then what he said before appeared on the page, as well as reminders to hold her head up and keep smiling.

"You can rely on us, Kougyoku," he said. She burst into tears and hugged him, dropping the brush on the table. He hugged her back.

"Ready for an afternoon nap?"

"Yeah."

They curled up together on her bed, Kougyoku nestled into him like a child. He pillowed her head and drifted off to sleep as she did. On the bedside table, her beaded hat and his flower crown leaned against each other.

**Author's Note:**

> sleppy beppy. anyone else's sleep schedules super messed up?


End file.
